How to Watch Drag

Miz Cracker’s under-the-wig guide to how a queen works her magic. Vol. 1: Makeup.

This post is part of Outward, Slate’s home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture.

When you think about drag, many elements come to mind: the wigs, the makeup, the dancing, the lip sync, the jokes. But even a seasoned spectator might not realize how carefully each queenly skill is used to delight your eyes and brain. In this series, Miz Cracker, a Slate contributor and fan favorite on Season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, offers an insider’s guide to the art and science behind the glitter of a great drag performance.

Miz Cracker is a writer and drag queen living and werking in Harlem, New York. She was the 2016 Excellence in Column Writing award winner for the Association of LGBTQ Journalists (NLGJA), and she is a contestant on Season 10 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.